During a recent Cabinet meeting in the West Wing of the White House, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin listened to remarks made by President Biden. According to a report from Sky News, Austin expressed uncertainty about how Israel might retaliate against Iran for the missile attack that occurred on the night of October 1.
Iran launched more than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel, reportedly in response to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Iranian soil in July. Israel has made it clear that it intends to respond to these attacks.
“It’s hard to say exactly what an Israeli strike on Iran would look like,” Austin remarked. “Ultimately, that decision rests with Israel. There’s a question of whether the Israeli public will view their response as proportional to the attack, and how Iran perceives the situation can be two very different matters.”
Austin further added, “We will continue to do everything we can to de-escalate tensions, and we hope to encourage both sides to start calming the situation. So, we will keep monitoring what happens next.”
